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I-41 NB Exit 82 N 43° 33.105' W 88° 25.385' Theresa
Theresa rest stop - number 64

         Wisconsin has built a number of "twin" sets of rest stops. Some states don't do this. Many will place a rest stop on the median between the two directions of travel, so that access from both sides is possible. Others will stagger them, so that stops in each direction of travel come at unrelated locations. Wisconsin prefers to put the complimentary stops within a mile or two of each other, serving opposite lanes. The Lomira/Theresa pair is one such set. They are not only closely set, but use the same basic design, though the landscaping and parking may differ..
         This stop is named after the nearby small town of Theresa, and the nearby Theresa Marsh, a bit north and somewhat west of Milwaukee. The area is accessed by US highway 41, and the recently created (in 2015) I-41. The Interstate portion of US-41 coincides with the stretch of road between the Tri-state Tollway, and Green Bay, where it ends at the interchange with I-43. Outside of Milwaukee, the area is rural farm land, and classic white-bread Wisconsin. The closest thing to a tourist attraction is the nearby Theresa Marsh wetland area.
        Despite the apparent remoteness of the area, it has enough traffic between Green Bay and Chicago, as well as the Twin Cities and other parts to the west and the north, that this section of the old US highway was designated to be part of the Interstate System. As such, it was widened, resurfaced, and given certain amenities, including rest stops. Like all rest stops, this one welcomes you with a variety of trash and recycle bins. We;come to Wisconsin. Please don't litter. The present structure was upgraded from a little wayside in 1989.

Location

  • Near Theresa
  • Mile 82 northbound
  • GPS: N 43° 33.105' W 88° 25.385'

Amenities

  • 49 car and 12 truck parking stalls
  • Men's and women's restrooms
  • Handicapped accessible
  • Diaper changing facilities
  • Drinking water
  • Vending machines
  • Travel/weather info
  • Telephones plus TTY
  • Wooded picnic area and tables
  • Pet exercise area
  • Recycling areas

Features

  • Building opened in 1989.
  • Replaced original wayside.
  • Site layout enlarged and reconfigured in 1989.
  • Old building was located in the picnic area.
  • Six-sided building features a natural stone exterior.
  • Cast Wisconsin emblem in the lobby floor.
  • "World War II" Historical Marker located on site.
Parking

         If you can't park, you can't rest. The Theresa rest area has there parking areas. In common with other rest stops, it has a separate area reserved for trucks and large vehicles only. This portion features pull through spaces, in contrast to the angle parking in the lots assigned to automobiles. In common with the truck parking areas of the other rest stops, this is located just a bit off the beaten path, and is split off from the main auto parking at the ramp. This is done to isolate the trucks a bit, from the busier day to day traffic of the stop, so the truck drivers can get some rest. It also eases traffic flow a bit between cars and larger vehicles.
        There is room here for 49 cars and 12 trucks. Overnight parking is allowed, and is expected from truck drivers, who are required by law to get a certain amount of rest every day. Generally there is a 24 hour limit. As the areas are regularly patrolled, if you stay longer you may be asked to leave. No camping as allowed. What is generally meant by this is that you may not pitch tents, unfurl awnings,  unhitch trailers, or open slide out units. These are not particularly onerous restrictions and are meant to keep the areas available for travelers, and to discourage their use as campgrounds, in competition with nearby commercial camp grounds. These are, after all, rest areas and not camp areas.
        Clearly visible from the ramps and parking areas are the surrounding farms and cultivated fields.
        At the time of my visit,. this stop was not particularly busy. Highway 41 is not a main highway like the East/West corridor. These also do not receive the budget of the busier stops. At my visit, there was some resurfacing required of the some of the parking areas. Yet the roads are more important than the stops, and the working portion of the facilities are in excellent repair.
        The aerial photo at the top shows how the parking areas are arranged. One of the auto areas, like the truck parking area, is a bit more secluded than the other, being a bit further removed from the pavilion, and also shielded behind a stand of trees. . It is not only truck drivers that sometimes need to catch a little shut eye.
        All traffic is one way, and the stops are easy on/easy off. While trucks have their own isolated ramp that joins with the on and off ramps, the route for automobiles basses through both of the auto parking areas, before joining with the truck route to connect to the freeway.Ramps are long and gently curved, for acceleration and deceleration.
Grounds

         Wisconsin is a beautiful state, with a wonderful climate - five months a year, with a breathtaking fall for a couple months more. Winter has an appeal of its own, but is not a time you want to sit outside. For that period when the outdoor weather permits, this rest area, along with most others, has walking trails, picnic areas, and park like landscaping. This site, and its sister site of Lomira, also have what can only be called a patio area, in front of the pavilion. It is paved, hard surfaced, and surrounded by benches. Though there are few picnic benches scattered around the grounds, there is really nothing like a specialized picnic area.
        This stop does feature a couple of short walking trails. One is open and grassy, while the other is a bit wooded and shady. I assume these are representative of what the area once was, before farms and cities covered much of the landscape. The trails are kept up and the paths manicured, as is the case for all of the grounds here. Ticks are a problem in Wisconsin, so special care is taken for tick control.
        A dog walking area helps insure that the walking trails will be spared any possibility of unpleasant surprises.
        A small shack off to the side behind the main pavilion is where the landscaping tools, mower, snow plow, and other such things are kept. The state has found that it is cheaper merely to leave them here, and have such equipment at each site. rather than deal with transporting it around, with breakage, gas use,and wear and tear on transport vehicles.

Special

         Rest stops, particularity those out in the country, all have picnic areas, and are located in park like settings. Most Wisconsin sites are planted in local vegetation, and have displays of local or historic interest. The Theresa atop features a marker commemorating the Wisconsin contribution to the victory of WWII.
        This particular stop is located near the Theresa Marsh, a protected wildlife area. The marsh contains something like 6000 acres. While this is a preserve, it is not in its natural state. Originally, this was a tamarack forest. It is a popular spot for watching and sometimes hunting waterfowl.This site, and the nearby stop at Lomira, both have markers indicating the presence of the nearby Theresa Marsh.
        The grass here is kept closely cropped, in part for tick control.The site has it's own tools and equipment, with local crews coming out to keep growth in check, while others come to clean the pavilion and empty the trash and recycle containers.
        Picnic tables are dispersed through
the grounds, for those who wish to stay a while, before going in their way. Following the usual practice, these are mounted on concrete slabs to protect against ants, and to anchor them in order to prevent theft. Yes, there are people who will steal a picnic bench if they can, even from way out here..
        In addition to the pedestrian walkways, there is a pet exercise area - leashes only. This allows for the sometime neglected four legged members of the family to get out,stretch the legs, and do what needs to be done - very democratic. It is well marked, and has both open and wooded portions.
        This rest stop is set within a wooded area, surrounded by natural forest, and is in close proximity to some local farms.
Pavilion

         Government buildings, particularly those meant for public use, are built like bunkers. The pavilion for this rest site, as for most others, is a literal rendition of the classic brick outhouse. This is a steel frame concrete building with a stone face and a metal roof. It will last for hundreds of years, unless it is demolished to make room for something else.
        These stops are designed for 24 x 7 access, and for remote locations that may mean irregular maintenance, or long intervals between maintenance. Though regularly patrolled, and watched by sheriffs and other law enforcement, they also must deal with the possibility of vandalism, and attempts at theft of equipment. This particular stop is near enough to a small town to have access to city water and power.
         A satellite dish on the roof serves to provide up to the minute weather information on a monitor inside. It also connects the various alarm and system monitors to a central monitoring station. A system malfunction, or a security breach of the private portions of the building will elicit a response.
        The pavilion and its matching shed are six sided structures. The shed houses lawn care equipment, and other gear that would not fit in the pavilion, or may be unsuitable for indoor storage. As in the case of its sister site at Lomira, this pavilion was built in 1989 to replace the more primitive structure standing when this site was a wayside. The site was also enlarged. This reflected support for the initiative to have old US 41 promoted to Interstate 41, This was officially proposed in 2005, but did not happen until 2015.The busy route goes from Chicago, though Milwaukee and the Fox Valley, up to Green Bay.While not the most direct route to the Twin Cities, some Twin City traffic is also supported.
        The pavilion features a pair of large bay style windows, in an attempt to let in some light, and relieve the sometimes gloomy and oppressive feel of these bunker style buildings. These windows look out upon a hard surfaced deck, and ultimately out onto the freeway. The anodized metal root is of aluminum, but is finished to look like copper. It is surrounded by well lit walkways, plantings of native vegetation, and several recycle stations. A satellite dish can be seen on the roof, providing communications for weather and alarms systems. As of this writing, there is no wifi, but it is only a matter of time.
        The six sided structure has several entrances, including a steel door that opens into a restricted area that houses the office, telecom gear, and service areas. There are also a pair of public doorways, which feature single doors, rather than the double door entrances common to the larger stops. There are certain similarities in style at ll of the rest stops, but some variation is encouraged by the designers. This stop, along with the nearby stop at Lomira, are twins, a common practice for complimentary rest areas.
Interior

         As a grown up version of the old waysides lining the roadways, the present day rest areas have added a few frills. In addition to the expected rest rooms, there are vending machines, weather monitors, phones, drinking fountains, fresh water, places to sit, and information areas. at one time, the interiors of these places were covered with racks full of tourist information, brochures, pamphlets, booklets, flyers, and assorted guidebooks. For young children, traveling on vacation in the 60's/70's, these places were wonderful. generally we would start by picking up a map, and then a litter bag, both freely available. The litter bag would then be filled with tourist literature (just coincidence that those two words are so similar? I don't think so." We would then ride along, looking at all the possible destinations. We rarely stopped at any of these places, which was what made reading about them so much fun. Upon our return home, they made great memories of what could have been.
        Today's rest areas have little left of this bounty of reading. Much of it has gone on the Internet, for travelers to read on their cellphones, tablets, or laptops as they pass through. The Theresa stop is built to last for centuries, like all public works,and particular those designed for constant use out on the fringes. The basic construction is of concrete and steel, with a aluminum roof. This particular stop is located near enough to a municipality that it can access city power, and city water and sewer.
        Like its twin rest stop, this stop has a map of Wisconsin embossed into a concrete pad in the middle of the brick floor of the main area. These places are always open, are well maintained usually by various assistance organizations, like the Council for the Blind, and are kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Proceeds from the vending machines are generally put towards the upkeep and cleaning of the stop.
         The rest rooms have come a long way since the old wayside outhouses covering pit toilets. The Theresa area is completely tiled, well lit, and features a single frosted window for natural lighting. Both rest rooms have changing stations. There are real glass mirrors, liquid soap dispensers, and hot air hand driers. All fixtures are of stainless steel. A channel and in floor drains make floor cleaning and sanitation easy.
        This is a somewhat smaller rest area on a newly designated Interstate highway, and so only has one restroom per gender. The larger areas have two, so that one will always be open while the other is being cleaned.
        Like all new construction public areas of the last several decades, the rest rooms are handicap accessible.